What's In A Name?

Hottie, Gorgeous, Suave. Three words, same meaning. Two words, different meanings, Ocho Cinco. Eighty-five, the highest jersey number ever retired in baseball. Eighty five, the percentage of ethanol used to produce gasoline. Eight five, the year that Mike Tyson made his professional debut. Eighty-five the number on the back of Chad Johnson's Bengals jersey. Or should I say, Chad Ocho Cinco's jersey?

Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver and Dancing With the Star gorgeous celebrity athlete Chad Ocho Cinco was born Chad Javon Johnson. Confused? Best to start from the beginning.

Born in Miami Florida in 1978, Chad Johnson grew up with the gift of game. A standout wide receiver from Miami Beach Senior High, football wasn't Johnson's first priority upon graduation. He began his education at Langston University, a historically black University located in Oklahoma. While at Langston, Johnson kept up with his grades, yet spent his freshman year sans sport. Realizing his talent had fallen stagnant, Johnson transferred to Santa Monica Junior College to complete his associates degree and preview his talents to the NCAA Gods (otherwise known as college recruiters). Santa Monica Junior College is commonly known as the incubator that holds the most talented future NCAA stars, particularly via the Pac-10. It wasn't long before Chad Johnson transferred his talent to Oregon State University starting as wide receiver for the Beavs. Chad Johnson's tenure at Oregon State was absolutely stellar to say the least. He and teammate T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who he would later play with in Cincinnati, led Oregon State to an 11-1 season and shattered OSU records upon entry. Johnson and Houshmandzadeh (Housh) would go on to beat Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl their senior year. In addition, Chad Johnson, to this day, holds the longest yardage for a touchdown-reception in school history. Johnson's NFL career was imminent.

Chad Johnson was picked up in the 2001 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. His first two years of play were so-so, just aight, it wasn't until 2003 that he really etched his name into the NFL playing field. Four straight seasons, Chad Johnson led the AFC in receiving yards. He earned himself a Pro Bowl spot a whopping six times. In 2007, Chad Johnson broke an NFL receiving record, to become the first Bengal ever to lead the NFL in receiving records.

As time progressed, Johnson earned himself a name off the field as well. He kept it sassy to say the least, and had an air about him that irritated his fellow teammates. In 2006, Fox Sports listed Chad Johnson on their top ten list of "showboats" in professional sports, of course he was crowned King.In 2007, after a Monday Night Football game, Chad Johnson wore a jacket that resembled the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee's jackets. On the back of the jacket questioned... "Future H.o.F 20??"

His fellow players, including quarterback Carson Palmer were less then impressed, and deemed Johnson as nothing more then a distraction. Rumors circulated regarding a potential trade, and Chad Johnson went on a radio show to request a change of scenery. Though the wheels were in motion for Johnson to transfer to Washington, and play for the Redskins, nothing transpired, and he continued to play in Cincinnati.

So who is Chad Ocho Cinco? Chad Ocho Cinco is Chad Johnson. He requested his fans and teammates call him "Ocho Cinco" Spanish for his football number, eighty five, in 2006. Pre-game late October, just before Cincinnati would play Atlanta Falcons, Chad Johnson came into the locker room with a label on the back of his jersey that read "Ocho Cinco" instead of "C. Johnson." Rumor has it that Cincinnati Quarterback Carson Palmer was less then amused and immediately ripped it off his jersey. In addition, Chad Johnson was fined $5,000 by the NFL. Chad Johnson was given strict order that he wasn't to use the name "Ocho Cinco" for anything NFL related unless he legally changed his name through the court system. Of course that's exactly what he did, Chad Javon Johnson was granted the name Chad Javon Ocho Cinco just before the 2008 NFL season. Having gone through the proper procedures, The NFL allowed Ocho Cinco to allocate a name change on his 2008 jerseys. However, because of legal obligations to Reebok, he donned "C.Johnson" throughout the 2008 season, and didn't request the offical jersey change until 2009.

Rumors have since surfaced that Chad Ocho Cinco may undergo yet another name change. He announced on USTREAM broadcast that he's seeking to legally change his name to "Hachi Go" which is Japanese for eighty-five.

Today, Chad Javon Johnson is Chad Ocho Cinco, star of the tenth season of Dancing With the Stars, partner to Cheryl Burke. Over the past two Mondays, Ochocinco has kept women swooning... and their men... busy voting. Chad Ocho Cinco always puts on a show. He's been dancing on endzones for years, this time he performs his moves in the ballroom. The changes he'll have in store will surely surprise us all. Chad Tonioli or Chad Goodman perhaps?